Fairfield’s Historic Green

Fairfield’s historic Green has stood at the town’s center since Fairfield was established in 1639 by Roger Ludlow, the Connecticut Colony’s first Lieutenant governor, on land purchased from the native Unquowa, who had maintained seasonal camps there for centuries. With fellow Puritans from Windsor, Connecticut, Ludlow laid out Fairfield’s four squares plan, and as more families arrived, the town’s Congregational Meeting House rose on this central space as the hub of religious, social and political activity. Although Fairfield quickly expanded beyond this center, the Green remained the focal point of community life, where the Declaration of Independence was read aloud in 1776, celebrations marked the end of the War of 1812, young men departed for wars, and U.S. presidents George Washington and Ronald Reagan stood. It was also a place of public punishment for offenses ranging from petty crimes to witchcraft, and during the American Revolution it saw skirmishes with invading British soldiers. On July 7, 1779, thousands of British troops under General Tryon came ashore from ships on Long Island Sound, invaded Fairfield, and burned it to the ground. In the mid 1800s, citizens grazed livestock there, giving the Green an unkempt appearance and stench that led one newspaper to condemn it as an eyesore, helping motivate town leaders to transform it into the pleasant common space of today.

Fairfield, Connecticut · United States